Mr. Styke

Gods of Blood and Powder #3.5

by Brian McClellan

One of the cruelest jokes the world played on itself was turning a monster into a civilized
man. That’s how Ben Styke sees it, anyway. Fifteen years have passed since the Dynize War
and people no longer remember Styke as a convict or a soldier or a killer. He’s just another
businessman. Hurting. Tired. Old. Playing a role that does not suit him.

Styke’s world is upended on the day he refuses to sell horses to the wrong man. He is
soon targeted by dangerous people with deep pockets, to whom one soft old rancher means
nothing. But civilization can only impress itself on a man so much, and Ben Styke has some
madness in him yet.

Genres: Fantasy

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2026

About the author

Brian McClellan is an American epic fantasy author from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his acclaimed Powder Mage Universe and essays on the life and business of being a writer.

Brian now lives on the side of a mountain in Utah with his wife, Michele, where he writes books and nurses a crippling video game addiction.

Brian's novels include the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic), Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire, and Blood of Empire), and Valkyrie Collections (Uncanny Collateral)

Reviews

[Charoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got my hands on this early through the kickstarter project and couldn't help but read it immediately.
And what a ride this was. Very entertaining and I realized how much I missed these characters. If you like the series you'll love this as well, no surprise here. 😂

[Neviot · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasure to return to the Powder Mage world. It’s been 15 years and the world of Fatrasta is now civilized. Even a monster like Ben Styke is now a business man. Styke is such an enjoyable perspective, straightforward and blunt but curious and clever too. It was so fun to see the interactions between Michel and Styke, the humor of Styke’s disdain for how Michel operates. Such a treat to visit these beloved characters in their older incarnations and see where they have developed, what they have learned.

[Dawson Lybbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great return to Fatrasta that provides a wonderful look at what has happened since the conclusion of Blood of Empire.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was good to catch up with the colonel. Fun book.

[Alex Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just fantastic, Ben Styke being Ben Styke.

Brian knocks it out the park, as per usual.

[Wes Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book great to be back in this world